Enter My Life
by Torahamutaro-chan
Summary: When Professor Snape finds a book on the floor during his night watch, he has no idea that it would take him into the mind of his most hated student, and what exactly he’d find there… AU. Severitus.
1. Entry 1

1/21/10

This story is something I'm working on until my writer's block goes away, because it's simple to write I shouldn't have much trouble with it. To those of you who are reading A Man and His Boy and Bent and Broken, I'm sorry. Hopefully I'll be able to continue those stories soon, as well as my other less prominent fics.

Disclaimer: I do not own the legal rights to Harry Potter.

******WARNING!**: This story contains scenes of **rape **and** abuse** which are rated **NC-17**. If you are not of legal age, do not read.

***I do NOT, in any way shape or form, condone the abuse of children. All characters are fictitious.**

Grammatical errors made in the journal entries are intentional, made to be appropriate for the journal writer's age.

XxXxX

Severus Snape, Potions Master and professor at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry was in a foul mood. Once again, Harry Potter had eluded him. He knew the boy was sneaking out of his dorm after hours and he also knew that unless he was caught, the Headmaster would not allow punishment. The man was almost certain there would be no punishment even if he _did_ manage to catch him. It was infuriating.

He sighed, not bothering to hide his frustration whilst no one was around. There was no need for masks in the darkness of night. As he walked, he thought of ways to get even with Potter. Taking house points and giving detentions only went so far.

'_What I wouldn't give for one hour alone with the brat_,' he thought. '_I'd show him what Slytherin punishment i_-'

Clap.

Snape looked down at his feet. He had stepped on something. Under his right shoe, he saw a book. Sighing again, he bent down and picked it up to examine it. It was thin, with a black leather cover and white paper pages. It was muggle. He noticed strong locking charms placed on it, making it impossible to open. Whoever owned this didn't want its contents read.

Deciding it might be a dangerous artifact, he made his way quickly back to his rooms and began using his Dark Arts expertise to counteract the locking charms. After an hour of trying with no success he was beginning to get annoyed. In a moment of pure frustration, he shouted out, "Confringo!"

He felt as his core poured all his magic into the curse and watched, wide eyed, as the book snapped open with a loud crack. He panted, magically exhausted, and walked over on shaky legs to pick up the book. Gently, he opened it, careful of possible curses within. But when he saw what it was, he relaxed a bit.

It was a diary. Just a simple, albeit heavily locked, diary. He let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding. It was a relief, and at the same time, a disappointment. He had spent an hour trying to open a _diary_?

"What a waste of time," he growled, tossing the thing on his desk and moving to sit in his favorite armchair by the couch. He sighed as the warmth of the flames embraced his tired body and soon found himself relaxing. He stared into the fire, trying not to think of the diary, and failing.

An uncharacteristic curiosity was flowing through him, and before he knew it he was opening the sleek leather cover and reading the first page.

XxXxX

March 4th, 19XX

Dear diary,

I found you today. You were in the garbage can at the park. I don't know why you were thrown out. Maybe it is because your cover is all torn up but it does not matter to me. I will give you a job. I will right down my life and you will keep it safe. OK? I will not right my name in you because my family will get mad if they find you are mine. I do not want uncle mad at me. He scares me. I will take you home now. Bye.

X

March 7th, 19XX

Dear diary,

I hid you real good. uncle has not found you and I am glad. I think he will hit me if he thinks I stole you. He always thinks I am being bad. I do not think I am bad. I try to be a good boy and not make them mad. I clean and I cook and I stay quiet. I hope they love me soon. I want them to love me. I hear some one coming. Bye.

X

March 8th 19XX

Dear diary,

uncle got mad at me today. He said I did not cook right and started yelling real loud. He hit my head and it hurt. He made me stay in my cupboard all day. I feel bad. I will try to cook good next time. Bye.

XxXxX

Severus was in awe. This boy was young if the writing was anything to go by, and he talked about being hit by his uncle, about living in a cupboard. What kind of person could be raised like this? He knew of many children in Slytherin house who were abused, could it be one of them? Was this that student's childhood diary?

He skipped through the pages, looking for more information. Most of the entries talked about "being a good boy" and getting love from his relatives. The boy longed for their care, to be treated in a way he should have been treated his whole life. By the time he reached the winter entries, he was seething.

XxXxX

December 24rd, 19XX

Dear diary,

My family went out with Piers family tonight. Uncle locked me in my cupboard and told me to be quiet. My stomach hurts. I need food. I snuck out of the cupboard and into the kitchen. Auntys chicken leg had meat still on it. I'm glad. I picked the bad stuff off and ate the chicken. There was half a roll. I ate that two. I do not like the taste of this food but I am glad to eat. I need to go back to my cupboard befour they get back. Bye.

X

December 25th, 19XX

Merry Crismas diary,

Today is Crismas and I am in my cupboard again. I can see my family in the living room opening presents from the tiny openings. Dudley got lots of stuff again. Some times I wish I could have stuff too but I can't because I am a freak. I do bad things. I do not mean to. They just happen. I hope the bad things will stop so they will love me. I want them to love me for Crismas. Happy holiday.

X

January 15th, 19XX

Dear diary,

School was fun today. Miss Pince told me I was a good writer. She asked me what kinder garden I went to to be so good and I told her I did not go to kinder garden. She frowned and I said sorry. She smiled and I was happy again. She said she would help me with spelling so I can be a better writer. I hope I can make uncle and aunty happy. Bye.

X

January 25th, 19XX

Dear Diary,

Miss Pinces tutoring is helping me. I can write better and articilate my sentences. She said that if I practice hard I can be in the spelling bee. I'm excited. I hope I can win. Bye.

XxXxX

'_A spelling bee_,' Snape thought, flipping through the pages to find the entry.

XxXxX

May 13th, 19XX

The spelling bee is tomorrow and I am very excited. I want to win the pretty blue ribbon. Uncle has been staring at me angrily and I want him to stop. I don't like it when he's angry. I hope the ribbon makes him happy. Bye.

X

May 14th, 19XX

Dear Diary,

I won! I won the blue ribbon! I can't believe I won. This is the first time I have ever won anything. I'm so happy. I'll run home and show uncle. Then he'll be happy too. Bye!

Same Day

Uncle hurt me. He took off his belt when I showed him the ribbon. I didn't understand until he started hitting me with the belt. It hurt. It hurt worse than his fists do. When he stopped he took my ribbon and threw it in the fire. I cried and he kicked my stomach. I almost threw up. I'm locked in my cupboard now. It's so dark. It hurts.

XxXxX

Snape's fingers tightened around the covers as he read the entries. The man had used a belt against a child, against his own family. Severus felt sick, forced to remember when his father had done the same thing to him. Remembering the pain, far more emotional than physical, that had come with the blows, and the scars that remained years after.

He couldn't stop now. He had to read on, to try and figure out whom the child was and to help him, if he wasn't too late.

X

The next morning, Severus ate his breakfast quickly. He wanted to get to his classroom and set up for his first class early. That way he could read before the little miscreants got there. Swallowing his last bite, he made his way down into the dungeons. Using his magical skills, he was able to set up while remaining at his desk. He thanked Merlin he was good at charms as well as potions. Placing a locking charm on the door, he removed the diary from his robes and began reading where he had left off.

The date was smudged as though it had been erased.

XxXxX

Dear Diary,

I turned eight today. My uncle gave me a pair of his old socks and my aunt gave me a coat hanger. I thanked them, even though I don't like the gifts. Hand-me-down socks and a coat hanger from my cupboard aren't presents. Not really. I have a bad feeling about today, Something bad is going to happen to me. I hope I'm wrong, but my feelings usually aren't. Maybe something will happen at tonight's dinner… Mum, please protect me.

X

August 2, 19XX

It hurts. It hurts. Uncle brought a man from his work over to the house for dinner on my birthday. He looked like an ordinary business man, important in this suit. I had seen him over at the house before. He had stared at me strangely. I didn't understand… I didn't understand until now. Uncle took me to Dudley's second bedroom. He told me to sit on the bed and be quiet. I stayed there and waited for uncle to come and get me so I could go back in my cupboard. I heard footsteps and stood up. Then uncle's business friend came in. Uncle told him to lock the door and handed him a sock. I was confused. Why would he need to lock the door? Why did he need a sock? The man grabbed my arm. I asked him what he was doing. He smiled and I got scared. I tried to cry out, but the man shoved the sock in my mouth and I couldn't get my screams out. He touched me. He… It hurt. It hurt so bad. I needed to tell someone it hurt. Thank you, diary.

XxXxX

Severus' heart nearly stopped. The child had been raped… Before he could even begin to try and comprehend this horrible fact, his alarm went off. It was time for class to begin. With a shaking hand, he placed the diary in one of his desk drawers and undid the locking charm on the door. As his students filed into the room, taking their seats, he wondered how he was going to make it through the day normally.

XxXxX

Well, there's chapter one. Hope you enjoyed.


	2. Entry 2

2/6/10

Hello. I would like to apologize for not updating as quickly as I said I would. My mind was very preoccupied. One of my friends went missing and all I could do was worry about her safety. I heard news of her signing onto Facebook, which I hope is true, so I feel a bit more at ease now.

Explanation! Some of you may be confused about the dates in the journal entries. I'll explain. Harry being born in 1980 just makes him seem so old, considering what year it is now, so I made Harry's birth year 1989, same as me. That way it's easier to write. I have no idea what the eighties were really like, but I do remember the nineties (to some extent). There you go. Sorry for any confusion.

Disclaimer in chapter one.

**Warning!** Mentions of rape and abuse.

XxXxX

The Potion Master's day was stressful. His eyes kept wandering towards the desk drawer in which the diary sat and his fingers twitched to turn the crisp pages. He had to know what else the boy had gone through, to discover the poor child's identity. And as the day went on, the need only increased.

Strangely, the Golden Boy of Gryffindor seemed distressed as well. He was grasping his stool so tightly his knuckles were turning white, and his breathing was quick and shallow. The professor would have thought him ill were it not for the nervous glances the boy kept sending him.

While Snape was happy Potter was finally showing him the appropriate amount of fear, he couldn't help but think it strange. Normally the boy was fearless and arrogant towards him, but now he stared at him as though he were a dementor.

Deciding the brat was simply being overdramatic, he chose to ignore the behavior and try to get on with the rest of class. The sooner it was over, the sooner he could continue reading and trying to discover the writer's identity; something he saw being far more important than an abnormally acting Gryffindor.

XxXxX

Harry was freaking out. He had accidentally dropped his journal whilst running away from Snape last night. He returned again and again to check the hallway it had been dropped in and couldn't find a single page of it. The only place it could be was with his potions professor.

'_Perhaps I'm overreacting_,' he thought. '_Filch could have found it, and he can't cast a spell to save his life._'

That thought calmed him slightly. His secrets were safe and sound in one of the squib custodian's cabinets. He breathed a sigh of relief.

'_Everything's fine_.'

XxXxX

November 23, 1997

Uncle keeps bringing men to the house. He says I'm earning my keep. I have no idea what he means, but it hurts really badly. My body has gotten used to it, but my heart feels like it's going to stop. Sometimes I wish it would. I don't want to live. I wish mum and dad were still alive. I wish I had died with them sometimes. I don't like thinking sad thoughts. It's hard not to be sad. I want mum. I want dad. I want to leave.

X

December 1, 1997

The number of men is larger now. I heard Uncle say something to one of the men. He said Holiday Special. I don't understand. I don't know why he's mad at me. What did I do wrong? Tear marks stained the page. I try to do what they ask, but it's hard. Help me diary.

Snape kept the bile from escaping his mouth, pushing forward until he came to something very interesting.

X

January 5, 1998

Diary,

Something weird happened today. Dudley and his gang of bullies chased me into the alley behind the school. One of them had circled around and blocked me. He grabbed my arms and made me face the others. They were smirking in a way I know. They undid their trousers. The bully holding me pushed me on my knees. Piers stuck his in front of me. I squeezed my eyes shut and wished super hard to be somewhere else. My stomach felt like it was being squeezed. Everything got quiet and I opened my eyes. I was on the roof! I looked down and saw Dudley's gang looking for me. I think the wind blew me up and away. I got in trouble and got beaten, but I am glad I escaped Dudley.

The Potions Master's eyes widened. The boy had apparated…at the age of eight! He had never in all his years heard of a child using such advanced magic at that young an age. Not even Dumbledore had managed it until he was _twelve_. He was thoroughly impressed and baffled. Who was this boy?

He read on, noticing a huge jump in dates.

X

June 13, 1998

Diary,

Uncle is sending me to a motel with one of his business partners. He told me if I messed this up he would snap my neck. I don't know why I'm scared. I've wanted to die before. Wouldn't this be my chance? But I **am **scared. I want to live. I feel like a rabbit. I hear him coming to get me. Bye.

X

June 27, 1998

Uncle beat me when he got home from work the day after the meeting. He said I hadn't been eager enough and had done a bad job. When he stopped beating me he dragged me outside. He took my clothes and put me inside the garden shed. He put a collar on my neck and chained me to the side of the wall. It was raining and cold. I wanted mum. I cried and waited for him to come back. I couldn't move for a long time. It hurts to write.

X

July 3, 1998

Dear Diary,

I keep hearing people in the garden. I told Aunt and she told me to stop speaking nonsense. I hear them. I really do. They whisper and sometimes stop and then start again. I wish I knew who they are. I want someone to talk to.

X

July 11, 1998

I found out who the voices are! They're snakes! There are talking snakes in the rose bushes!

Severus nearly dropped the diary. There were only two people he knew who had the ability to understand snakes, and only one matched the ages in the entries.

'_It can't be_…' he thought. '_It just can't_.'

Then a crazy thought entered his mind. Was there another parselmouth at Hogwarts? Had one of his students had this talent and kept it hidden? There was only one way to find out if the diary belonged to the despised, dunderheaded lion, or one of his own snakes.

He kept reading.

X

I tried to talk to them. They got scared and slithered away. I tried to apologize, but they were gone. I cried. The tears wouldn't stop and I felt so lonely. Then I felt something cool on my leg. One of the snakes was looking up at me. I sniffled and stared at it. A woman's voice asked me what was wrong. I told her I was lonely. She nuzzled my leg and I stopped crying. I told her my name and asked for hers. She told me she was called Charisma. I smiled and her tongue licked my knee. I made my first friend!

X

July 15, 1998

Dear Diary,

Charisma introduced me to her mate. His name is Vindico. He's my friend too now. We talked for a while about things. Human things and snake things. All sorts of things. I feel happy. I told them I would talk to them whenever I can. I hope I have to garden tomorrow.

X

July 28, 1998

Charisma and Vindico were dancing today. They were wiggling along side each other and Vindico was licking Charisma's back. They looked like a black and checkered river. Their tails were flicking about wildly. I smiled and watched the dance until they told me to leave them be. I did. I guess they're nervous dancers.

X

August 5, 1998

Charisma is very happy. She says she is going to have babies. I'm excited. I've never seen baby snakes before except in books. I bet they'll be cute. I asked her how many babies and she said we'd have to wait and see. I hope there will be a lot.

X

August 20,

I keep asking my snake friends lots of questions about their babies. I want to learn more about them so that I can be a snake expert. Maybe I can work at the zoo when I grow up. I hope so. Then I could make lots more snake friends.

X

September 7, 1998

School is long. I miss my snake friends. I'm worried I'll miss the birth of their babies, even though they both assured me they wouldn't be there for a while. I feel anxious.

XxXxX

The clock on the mantel chimed loudly, startling the man out of his reading. He rubbed his hand over his face as he looked up the noisy device. It was midnight. Begrudgingly, he made his way to his bedroom, making sure the diary was safely locked in his side table drawer before collapsing on the bed in his day clothes and instantly falling into a deep sleep.

XxXxX

There's chapter two. Review if you care to make me happy.


	3. Entry 3

2/27/10

Well, here we are at chapter three. Before you read, I have a few things to say.

- I will **not** change the dates back to fit Joanne Rowling's time frame.

- The Miss Pince in chapter one is a different person than the librarian at Hogwarts. It will come up later.

- Snape is very stubborn, but he _will _admit to himself that it is Harry soon. Be patient.

- The snakes are adders (_Vipera bersus_) and their names are latin.

a. Charisma - caring

b. Vindico - protect

Also, for those of you who care, my friend is now safe and sound. I was very relieved. Now, please enjoy.

Disclaimer in chapter one.

XxXxX

Severus awoke the next morning to his tempus alarm blaring in his ear. He groaned and yawned, checking the time.

'_7:30… I'm late._'

For some reason, he couldn't push himself to care. Instead, he stepped groggily into his bathroom for a shower and shave. Before leaving for his first class, he had a house elf bring him a chocolate muffin, one of his secret likes, charmed it to look like bran, then set off towards his first class of the day.

This day was far more stressful. He couldn't get the idea of the unknown child's plight out of his head long enough to focus on his students. His uncle had whored the boy out to, he assumed, gain better standing in the company he worked for. He grew sick just thinking of the horror the child was put through.

He spent what little time he had in between classes reading the autumn entries. As the boy grew more and more excited about his "snake friend's" upcoming birth, he wrote less and less about the prostitution. The snakes obviously helped him cope with his situation and distracted him from the pain.

Before his final class that day, he read the entry that he had been waiting for.

XxXxX

December 30, 1998

The babies are here! I saw them being born! There are four of them. They broke free of the gooey stuff encasing them and they all look like Vindico. Their voices are small and squeaky. Oh I knew they'd be cute! I love them all already!

Same Day

One more baby came! This baby is black like its mum and didn't have a gooey case. He was still slimy though. It's a boy. He looks just like Charisma. I can tell Charisma is happy. She loves all her babies, but she is happy one looks like her. I'm glad too. He is very cute.

X

January 2, 1999

The babies and I played today. They kept asking me questions and tried following me around. I don't mind, but I hope Aunt doesn't see them. I'm scared she'll hurt them. The little snakes call me brother. I like that idea. I'm a big brother now!

'_A brother to snakes; certainly not Potter_,' he thought before closing the diary. His students would arrive soon.

XxXxX

Sneaking into Filch's office was an incredibly simple task. With only muggle locks and no charms on the door, Harry alohomoraed his way into the small space. He searched the many cabinet drawers from under his invisibility cloak, keeping the door to the hall in his peripheral vision in case the man's wily feline companion decided to come in.

After searching through every drawer he could find, including the ones located inside the desk, Harry's heart nearly burst. '_It's not here!_' he thought desperately, double-checking in places he thought it might be. '_It's not here!_'

His head shot towards the door when he heard footsteps approaching. Silently, he made his way through the exit, closing and relocking the door, and in the opposite direction of the footsteps. When he was sure he was alone, he let himself breathe again. With the fear of being caught gone, a new fear set in.

'_Snape has my diary._'

XxXxX

After classes and dinner, and within the safety of his rooms, the Potions Master reopened the diary. What he saw scared him. Instead of a new entry, there was an array of ink scribbles, dried blood and tears. Had the boy's secret been found out? Had he been beaten bloody for it? He flipped forward to the next legible entry.

X

February 15, 1999

They're dead. Aunt saw me playing and talking with the babies. She watched where they went and told Uncle. Tear stains blurred the ink. He took a kitchen knife and stabbed at them. I heard Vindico shout and hiss at Uncle to stop. He tried biting Uncle and Uncle brought the knife down. He cut off Vindico's head. Charisma bit Uncle's hand whilst the babies slithered away, but Uncle took his foot and stamped on them. I heard them scream. I can still hear them scream. It hurts so badly. I want to die. I don't care about being beaten.

Severus sighed. He thought something like that might happen. Children, no matter how carefully they tried to hide secrets, were careless. Still, the pain the boy must have felt would have been unbearable. It would have been like watching his family die without being able to do a thing about it; a feeling he himself knew well.

He pushed on.

February 16, 1999

I snuck out in the middle of the night. Uncle had taken my friends' bodies and thrown them in the large garbage bin. I couldn't leave them there. I took them out and back to their hole. I dug their hole deeper, as deep as I could. I wanted their grave to be safe. When I reached the bottom of the hole, I felt something cold. I took it out. It was one of my brothers. He was still alive! I cried so hard, it was hard to be quiet. My little brother was alive. He was unconscious, but still breathing. I knew he needed help. I have to take him to a doctor.

X

February 17, 1999

I snuck out of the house and walked to a veterinary clinic. I waited whilst other people took their animals in to get checked. I decided to hide brother in my old baby blanket in case the other people got scared. Most people don't like snakes for some reason. When an assistant called me in and asked to see my pet, I opened the blanket. She screamed. Another assistant, an older woman, took me back into the waiting room, telling me she was sorry, but they didn't accept wild animals as patients. I couldn't help it, I started to cry. A man sitting in a chair with a tie-dye shirt and an iguana on his shoulder got up and patted my back. He said he knew someone who could help. I thought he might be like the other men, that'd he'd try to take me out to his car and touch me, but he just handed me a card and told me to tell them Andy sent me. I nodded and covered brother up tight to keep him warm. It took me a while to find the place on the card, but I found it. It was a reptile store. I went inside and asked for the manager. I told them Andy sent me. The manager was a woman in a tank top and shorts with short, shaggy brown hair. She looked like she had been sleeping. When she asked me what I wanted I showed her my brother. Her eyes got wide and a smile broke out on her face. When she asked to see him, I was scared she'd take him and kill him, but I was so desperate for help that I handed brother to her. She took him upstairs to what looked like her office and checked him over. She told me I had come just in time. Brother was close to death. She agreed to help me and I thanked her, but then I remembered I had no money. She told me it was okay, that she'd help my brother for free. I was so happy, I hugged her. She was surprised, but hugged back, telling me not to worry about it. I left brother in her care. I hope he gets better soon.

X

February 19, 1999

I went to visit brother today. He whispered to me how bad he felt and I told him the pain would go away, to trust the woman. When he fell back asleep, I went downstairs to look about the shop. I'd never seen so many snakes in one place! Hissing voices of all kinds surrounded me and I felt at peace with my family. I spoke with a young boa constrictor. He said he'd never met a speaker before. I asked him what a speaker was and he said I'm one. I wonder what that means. I looked at lizards, big and small, crawling about their tanks and climbing on the walls and ceiling. I tried speaking with them, but they just ignored me. Ben, the man who worked there, let me hold a small tarantula. It was light and felt all fuzzy. I like spiders. I see a lot of them in my cupboard and their legs tickle my skin at night. I poked at the tanks with scorpions and centipedes in them. They didn't move much. Next I looked at all the different kinds of fish. Freshwater fish and saltwater fish, fish in small bowls with bright colors. I looked through the isles at all the accessories and came across a tank full of green and orange frogs near the front of the store. Beside it was an indoor pond with cod and turtles in it. I love the store, I want to live here.

X

February 25, 1999

Lizzy, the woman at the reptile store, told me today that I could take brother home soon. When I told her I didn't have a tank or lamp or food for brother, she said I'd have to get them. I told her I would try to find the money. I ran straight home to see if I could mow my neighbors' lawns for pay.

March 1, 1999

I went to visit my brother today and to buy the supplies needed to care for him. I earned nearly twenty pounds by doing yard work. I gave the money to Lizzy and she smiled sadly and told me it wasn't enough. I thought I was going to cry again. I asked what I was going to do. She must have felt bad for me because she told me I could pay this much now and owe her the rest. I thanked her over and over again, almost knocking her down in my haste to hug her. I can't wait to set up brother's home in the back of my cupboard. I have to be very careful to keep my baby brother safe.

X

March 3, 1999

I took brother home today. I hid him in my pants pocket, carrying the battery powered heating lamp Ben fixed up for me under my shirt. I snuck quickly back into the house and into my cupboard. I put brother into his new home and set up the lamp. When everything was right, I put a couple crickets inside for brother to eat. He was looking much better, but he still needed lots of rest and nourishment. I promised, I **swore** to myself, I will protect my brother. I will not let Uncle or Aunt or Dudley find him.

X

Snape's alarm rang, ensuring he would stop reading and go to bed at a decent hour. He looked over at the clock. 10:00 P.M. He groaned and reluctantly closed the diary, heading to his bedroom for a good night's sleep.

XxXxX

That's all for now. My brain is drained. Until next time, happy reading.


	4. Entry 4

7/22/11

I apologize ahead of time for the poor quality of this chapter. My heart isn't fully in the story anymore. Also, I'm sorry for not posting this chapter sooner. I started writing it back in April of 2010 and somehow forgot about it.

Instead of changing the dates, I've Xed them out.

Disclaimer in previous chapters.

XxXxX

June 4, 19XX

As I was walking home from the pet store today, I saw a very unusual family. The parents were tall, thin, and pale with light blonde hair and bluish eyes. Their kid looked just like them, but my age. He looked at me and I felt strange. I felt a spark in me. I think he felt it too because his eyes widened. It was so weird. I wonder why that happened.

X

June 9, 19XX

I took Brother to the park today. He seems like he really wants to be outside. I don't blame him. I don't like being at the house. He asked me to set him down in the small forest nearby. I was really scared when he slithered off and didn't come back for more than twenty minutes. When I saw him I was so relieved I hugged him tight. He wrapped his tail around my neck and apologized. He said he went hunting and that sometimes it takes a while. He said Vindico taught him. I started crying. I miss my snake friends. I miss them so much.

X

June 13, 19XX

I keep seeing owls in the neighborhood. They fly over Privet Drive towards the street Mrs. Figg lives on. I haven't seen her in a while. For some reason I keep thinking of the blonde boy I saw. Owls make me think of him. It's confusing.

X

June 20, 19XX

The number of owl sightings is increasing. I've seen about ten so far today, flying over the house towards Mrs. Figg's street. Sometimes I wish an owl would stop here. I know they're not safe to touch, but they look so nice flying in the sky that I can't help but want to pet them. I bet it would be great to have one as a pet. They seem useful, carrying letters. I've never heard of carrier owls before though. How odd.

XxXxX

Severus read over the first few entries from June. Tall, thin, pale and blonde; the boy had obviously run into the Malfoys. He had also felt a spark. This wasn't unusual, as magical children could sometimes sense each other in passing. The strength of the spark however, strong enough to startle the usually composed pureblood child, was troubling. The boy was turning out to be very powerful, and the proof was throughout this diary. He had to figure out which of his students was the writer, and soon. Such strength could be used in the war.

The owl sightings, on the other hand, were more confusing than elaborating. Why so many owls headed to one person, and why was this person living in muggle Britain? So many questions, so few answers.

XxXxX

Hermione Granger was annoyed. She had been watching Harry pace in front of the fire for nearly twenty minutes and it was beginning to get on her nerves.

"Harry, stop, you're going to damage the rug," she said after four more minutes of his madness.

"I can't, Hermione," Harry replied. "I'm just so worried."

"If you're worried about Snape having your diary, why not simply ask him for it back? I'm sure he'd give it to you."

"But what if he opened it?" he asked, running a hand through his hair. "What if he read through it?"

"He wouldn't do something like that," she said skeptically. "He's a teacher."

"He's Snape," Ron corrected, taking a break from looking through his favorite Quidditch magazine to give his two knuts.

"He's a respectable educator."

"Neither of you understand!" Harry yelled, then lowered his voice so that only they three could hear his voice. "My entire life is on those pages. If he reads them, he'll use my secrets against me in one way or another. I _have_ to get it back."

The other two lions looked at each other before staring back at Harry. It was obvious both thought he was overreacting.

He groaned loudly before turning and walking towards the stairs.

"Harry?" Hermione called, concerned.

"Forget it, I'm going to bed," he spat back, aggravated. '_I'll figure out a way to get it back myself._'

XxXxX

Severus was now spending more and more time each day reading though the diary. He had gotten through nearly a year of entries before something stood out, some clues to the identity of the writer. And now he could no longer deny what he already knew deep in the back of his mind…

X

June 30, 19XX

A letter came for me with today's mail. I tried to open and read it, but my uncle snatched it away from me. It had a strange crest on it. An H encircled by a lion, eagle, badger and snake. I've never seen that crest before, but something tells me it's important. I need to get my hands on it.

X

June 31, 19XX

My uncle burned my first letter, but more keep coming. They're showing up everywhere. Through the mail slot, the chimney, even in eggshells! It seems mad, but perhaps it's magic. I hope it is, and that the magic reaches me.

X

July 10, 19XX

For some reason, Uncle moved me from the cupboard to Dudley's second bedroom. It such a mess in here I can barely move around. I don't know where I'm going to hide Brother's tank.

Same Day

I cleared out the wardrobe that was filled with Dudley's old clothes and placed Brother in there. I hope he can breathe.

X

July 16, 19XX

Uncle's gone mad. He's boarded up the mail slot, the windows, even the kitchen stove pipe. I don't understand what he's doing. Why is he so determined to keep those letters from me? I have to read one, I just have to. I have a feeling it's really important.

X

July 30, 19XX

Uncle took us away from the house and drove us all over the place. So far we've been to a forest, a motel, and now the seaside. He got out of the car and told us to wait for him. It's raining hard and the inside of the car was so cold we were all shivering. When Uncle came back he was carrying an umbrella, a long package and a small package. He told us to get out of the car. We ended up taking a small rowboat to a shack on an island in the middle of the sea. We're so far out and the storm is so bad, I doubted any owl can make it here. The shack is freezing and my blanket is so thin. Dudley's watch read 11:59. One more minute and I'll be eleven. Happy Birthday to me.

X

July 31st. Harry Potters birthday. There was no doubt left in his mind.

XxXxX

That's all for now. Until next chapter, happy reading.


End file.
